


we just work together

by Fandom_I_Think_Yes



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Slow Burn, bechloe - Freeform, diner au, staubrey - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_I_Think_Yes/pseuds/Fandom_I_Think_Yes
Summary: They walked side-by-side on the way to Aubrey’s house, keeping casual conversation.Aubrey had to remind herself that this was not a date. They were just coworkers who happened to get dinner after work and now she was being walked home. For safety reasons. Nothing more.A Diner AU
Relationships: Bechloe, Chloe Beale & Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell, Stacie Conrad & Aubrey Posen, Stacie Conrad/Aubrey Posen, Staubrey
Comments: 27
Kudos: 105





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know how you guys like this first chapter!

It was an overly warm Saturday in Georgia. It was one of those summer days that felt like the air was actively trying to suffocate you by noon but started off decently enough. So, before it got too hot Aubrey got up and dressed for her daily morning run. She tied her hair up, slipped on her sneakers and headed out the door into the warm air to get a couple miles in before she had to go to work.

Aubrey was a server at this small local diner run by an older woman named Nancy. She was basically a grandma to Aubrey. The two had met when Aubrey was still an army brat moving around with her dad. They spent about a year stationed in Georgia and since the diner was only a 5 minute walk away from her house, every Tuesday after school, Aubrey would stop by the diner with her childhood friend Chloe Beale and get a vanilla milkshake while finish up her homework before heading home. 

This routine lasted for the entire year, even during the summertime when she wouldn’t have any homework to do. It was better than staying at home in a mostly empty house while her dad was away at work. She grew accompanied to the two vanilla milkshakes awaiting her arrival on the counter and the kind smile that Nancy had every time she walked into the diner, it made her feel at home. But like every time before, Aubrey had to eventually move away. This was an especially hard time for Chloe since she never had a friend who moved out of their small town before. She made Aubrey promise to keep in contact with her and come back to visit when she got older.

Little did they both know, Aubrey would eventually return to the small Georgia town for college. The same college that Chloe was going to attend. When they hung out again for the first time, it was like no time had passed and they both became each other’s best friend again. Now the pair lived in a small townhouse right outside of Barden while Aubrey continued onto law school and Chloe continued going to vet school.

Aubrey finished her run in record time and headed back towards her house. Aubrey was quite pleased with the house that they found. It was within walking distance of the diner and Barden’s campus and it felt homey, maybe because she had Chloe living with her but it was something that she never really had before. 

She opened the front door and headed into the smell of coffee and French toast. She was greeted with the sight of Chloe dressed in scrubs since she was volunteering at the animal shelter today and a plate full of French toast on the counter. 

“Welcome back, how was your run?”, Chloe asked while turning around from the coffee machine. Aubrey grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the counter before answering, “It was good. I’m glad I made it back before it got too hot”. Chloe nodded in agreement while sipping from her cup, “Yeah, I think it’s supposed to be 95 today” the redhead replied.

“Nancy’s milkshakes are the best, so we’ll probably get pretty busy today.” Aubrey grabbed a piece of French toast and took a bite when Chloe asked, “Weren’t you guys going to hire someone new today? Annabelle or Abigail?” Aubrey nodded while finishing her French toast, “Yeah, Anastasia. But I’m not sure when she starts working.”

“Maybe she’ll be the love of your life” Chloe said while barely containing her giggles. Aubrey rolled her eyes half-heartedly with a soft smile. “Not everyone that comes to work at the dinner is going to be the love of my life, Chlo.” Aubrey reprimanded. “Besides, not many people stick around too long. That’s why Nancy hasn’t hired anyone in so long” she added.

“It’s weird that she’s hiring someone now then. I wonder what Anastasia did to win Nancy over” Chloe questioned. Aubrey thought about it for a second and shrugged, “Its almost summertime. Maybe she lives in the area and Nancy wanted some extra help when it starts getting a little busier.” Chloe nodded in agreement and started preparing a cup of coffee to bring with her during the drive to the vet clinic.

After Chloe headed out the door, Aubrey decided that it was time for her to take a shower and get ready for work. 

Once out of the shower, Aubrey threw on her uniform shirt and a pair of jeans. Nancy wasn’t too strict on wearing uniforms since it was a local business and she wanted her workers to be comfortable. So, she decided on matching black t-shirts with the logo on the back and top right pocket area of the shirt. Simple but still elegant and distinct enough for the guests to be able to recognize who was working. 

After getting dressed and putting on a bit of mascara, the blonde went out the door and headed towards the diner. 

The place wasn’t too busy when she arrived. There was a couple sitting in a booth in the corner and a regular named Pat who was seated at the countertops.

“Hey Pat!” Aubrey said to the older man on the barstool. He smiled at Aubrey and replied, “Well hey there! Finally decided to come into work I see. I’ve been sitting here for 10 minutes too long.” 

She knew that Pat was just joking, he was always friendly and cracking jokes even if they weren’t always funny. Pat had been coming to the diner ever since it opened, even before Aubrey’s time. 

“Just the regular?” Aubrey asked him. Pat nodded at her, “You know it.”

Aubrey turned around to ring in his order at the register when the door opened, making the bells ring.  
“I’ll be right with you” Aubrey said to the stranger that had just entered. 

“No problem, take your time” the stranger replied. Aubrey continued to ring in Pat’s order as she heard the stranger sit down at a barstool and make casual conversation with Pat. 

Aubrey didn’t really know what to expect when she turned around but this is not what she anticipated. The girl sitting at the counter was gorgeous. She had brown hair cascading down in waves and the most entrancing green eyes that Aubrey had ever witnessed. Or were they blue? She really couldn’t focus on that right now.

The brunette gave her a dazzling smile and Aubrey’s breath hitched. 

She quickly broke out of her trance and asked, “What can I get for you today?” while throwing in a quick smile. She might’ve asked a little quickly but at least it was a coherent sentence. 

“Oh, Nancy didn’t tell you? I’m Stacie. I’m starting here today. Well technically just picking up my uniform today and starting tomorrow but-” the brunette rambled for a second before stopping herself and starting again.

“I’m Stacie” she said while extending her hand out to Aubrey. 

Aubrey glanced down at the offered hand before taking it and introducing herself, “I’m Aubrey.”

Both girls smiled at each other for a beat too long until the moment was broken when the cook, Derek, announced that Pat’s order was ready.

Aubrey dropped Stacie’s hand and turned around to grab the plate of food that was sitting at the cook’s window, “Thanks Derek.”

Once she placed the plate in front of Pat, Aubrey turned to Stacie again. “You said something about a uniform shirt?” 

“Yeah, Nancy said she left it in by the back register but I figured I’d ask whoever’s working before I just barged back there” Stacie replied.

“Oh, I can grab it for you” Aubrey said before heading to the register.

She quickly returned and handed the shirt to Stacie. The brunette took the shirt and thanked her, “I don’t know why Nancy told me to stop by on her only day off, but it was nice meeting you Aubrey.”

“Likewise. So, I’ll see you here tomorrow for work?” the blonde asked.

Stacie nodded and smiled, “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She got off the barstool and walked out the door but not before turning around and giving Aubrey a small wave and another dazzling smile.


	2. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the positive feedback on the last chapter! I appreciate you guys <3  
> I only had time for a rough edit, so there might be a few mistakes. But let me know how you guys like this chapter and anything you would like to see in the future!   
> Happy Friday :)

Stacie didn’t know what had come over her. Maybe it was because this was her first college job or maybe it was the fact that she would be seeing Aubrey again in the next 30 minutes. Probably the latter but she would never admit that out loud.

She had been getting ready to go into work for the past hour. All she needed to do was put on some light makeup, a pair of nice jeans, and her work shirt. She had tried on at least 5 pairs of jeans and most of them looked the same. Why did getting ready seem so hard all of a sudden? Probably because she would be spending a whole shift with Aubrey but that was besides the point. 

She barely even knew Aubrey. She had only spent approximately 10 minutes talking to her. But something about the blonde had intrigued her, it wasn’t only her looks, anyone could tell you that Aubrey was very attractive. There was a certain way that the blonde carried herself, it was full of confidence but not crossing the line into being cocky and there was something about her smile. Stacie could ramble about that 10 minute encounter for days.

Before she got too lost in her thoughts, her phone chimed, signaling that she needed to leave for work otherwise she’d be late. She really didn’t want to be late on her first day, and something told her that Aubrey doesn’t have a tolerance for people who aren’t punctual. 

So, Stacie slipped on her work shoes and checked her makeup and hair one more time before saying bye to her roommate, Beca, and heading out the door to the diner. The diner was a quick walk away from her dorm, that’s one of the reasons she applied there in the first place. 

Stacie never assumed that she would get the job at the diner. She had only worked in retail part-time before and had no experience in food service. But she decided to walk in and get a milkshake after a long morning workout and ran into Nancy. 

Her first thoughts on the diner was that it was homey. It wasn’t a huge establishment, it consisted of a row of booths that ran along the two walls that made up the front part of the building. In the center there was a counter with a line of stools that made up about 12 seats. Behind the counter there was the cooks window and then the kitchen. The color scheme was that of a classic diner, red, black, and white. Some diners were getting run down and a little greasy, but this diner was still sparkling.

Since it was still a little early, the diner wasn’t too busy yet. So, Nancy spent the majority of the time that Stacie was there chatting with her. It was a good conversation and Nancy was a really nice woman with a good sense of humor. Stacie had mentioned that she was doing some job hunting and Nancy mentioned that she was looking for some extra help. She handed Stacie an application and the rest is history.

It only took Stacie about 10 minutes to walk to the diner, giving herself a 10 minute buffer before her shift actually started. But unsurprisingly, Aubrey was already there behind the counter.

She walked up to the door and pushed it open, feeling the cool breeze from inside wash over her. 

Aubrey heard the door bells chime and she turned her head, “Oh hey, Stacie! I didn’t expect you to be here yet.”

Stacie gave her a bright smile back, “Well I didn’t want to be late on my first day”. Aubrey gave her a smirk in return, “Smart choice.”

Aubrey motioned for her to come around to the other side of the counter. “So this is where you’ll come clock in. You just punch in your number and hit the ‘start shift’ button”

Stacie was paying adamant attention to everything that Aubrey walked her through. They went over getting clocked in, where the cleaning supplies were, the kitchen, and a few of the other workers although there weren’t many. She had met Derek, the cook from the day before, and another cook named Gracie. Aubrey informed her that on most days they were the only cooks working. If they got super busy then Nancy would step in and help.

Lastly, they stopped by Nancy’s office which was just a small space in the back with a sturdy wooden desk that had papers strewn around and a few chairs.

“Hey, Nancy. I’m just showing Stacie around before we start actually taking orders.” Aubrey said upon entering the office.

Nancy looked up from her laptop and smiled at the girls. “Well, I hope Aubrey’s been treating you well. If you have an issue with her, please don’t hesitate to knock some sense into her” Nancy said jokingly. 

Stacie was a little shocked at the banter. She didn’t really find Aubrey to be the type that took jokes lightly, but Aubrey just rolled her eyes good naturedly with a small grin on her face. 

Nancy was probably one of the few people that got to joke with Aubrey like that. Stacie was slightly jealous, but she had absolutely no reason to be so she shook it off.   
“Don’t worry, I will definitely knock some sense into her if need be” Stacie said with a wink.  
“Wow. I didn’t know you were already picking favorites” Aubrey gasped lightheartedly.

Stacie brought her attention back to Aubrey and held her gaze. Each girl challenging the other to break first. But before anyone looked away first, the door chimed, signaling that a guest had just entered and was probably waiting to be helped.

“Well, duty calls. C’mon newbie” Aubrey said while getting her serving book out from her apron.

Stacie turned to follow her but stopped, “Wait. Did you just call me a newbie?”

Aubrey only stopped momentarily and looked over her shoulder, “Yes and you can’t tell me that I’m wrong. You’re the first person that Nancy’s hired in a few months.”

Stacie couldn’t argue with that so she reluctantly followed Aubrey into the main part of the diner to greet the newcomer.

Aubrey greeted the boy who was now sitting at the countertops and got his order. 

Stacie spent most of her shift trailing Aubrey to get a feel for serving and how things operated here. It wasn’t too bad; The diner had a steady flow of people coming in but it wasn’t anything too hectic yet. 

Nearing the end of the shift, Stacie already knew how to take an order, put it into the system for the cooks to make, bring out drinks and was getting a hang of the table numbers. Something told her that she was really going to like this job and only part of it was because of Aubrey.

After the last guest had left Aubrey showed her how to lock the front door and turn off the neon “open” sign.

“Well, that basically the rundown of things around here” Aubrey stated while wiping her hands down on her server apron and heading around to the cash register. “Oh, the last thing we have to do is count the drawer. But only after the front door’s been closed, it’s for security.”

Stacie just nodded along. She’d been doing that for a majority of the shift, soaking in everything that Aubrey had to teach her. She didn’t want the blonde to think that she wasn’t serious or appreciative of this job. Especially if she got to work with Aubrey more often now. 

While they were counting the money left in the drawer the brunette remembered something, “How do I check the schedule and when I’m working?”

“Oh, I forgot you didn’t know where that was. I assumed that Nancy had mentioned it earlier but I’ll show you after we finish this up.”

Truth be told, Stacie did know where and how to check the schedule. But she wanted to see if her shifts happened to align with Aubrey’s at all.

They finished counting the money and headed into the office to check the bulletin board that the schedule was posted up on. Nancy argued that putting schedules up online was too much of a hassle since they didn’t have that many workers. Truly old school but it worked out well enough.

Aubrey lead the way and opened the door to the office cautiously, checking if Nancy was still there, not wanting to startle her. Unsurprisingly, she was sitting at the desk finishing up the paperwork from earlier. 

“Come on in girls. I think I’ve done enough paperwork for the next two weeks” Nancy said exhaustedly.

Aubrey gave her a soft smile, “Well why don’t you head home? Stacie and I have already closed up the front and counted the drawer.”

Nancy gave her a genuine smile in response, “And this is why I decided to hire the both of you.” She got out of her chair and tidied up her desk a bit before bidding farewell to the pair and giving Aubrey a light hug.

Stacie couldn’t help but notice the body language and connection between Aubrey and the older woman. “You guys seem pretty close” the brunette commented.

Aubrey turned to her and replied, “Yeah, she’s basically like my grandma. I’ve known her since I was a little kid.”

Stacie noticed the faraway look in Aubrey’s eyes but didn’t want to probe any further. They had just been coworkers for officially 5 and a half hours now. She didn’t think that Aubrey was going to be open to her avalanche of questions just yet.

Aubrey shook her head slightly, snapping out of her memories. 

“Well, here’s the schedule. It looks like we work together all weekend long” Aubrey noted.

“Lucky us.” Stacie replied with a smile.

As the pair was heading out the door and to their respective homes, Stacie decided to ask Aubrey for her phone number. Only for work related reasons- obviously.

Stacie handed Aubrey her phone and the blonde punched her number in.

“Come over here” Aubrey demanded. “What? Why?” Stacie asked confused. Aubrey rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. “Because we need to take a picture together for our contacts.”

Aubrey’s words finally clicked in the brunette’s head and she quickly stumbled her way next to the blonde. She was usually quick on her feet and bright in school, but something about Aubrey just made her brain shut off.

Aubrey pulled up the front camera and snapped a few pictures of the pair until both girls were happy with the pictures they got. “Now, I have a picture for my contact of you too” the blonde commented.

The brunette sent a quick text to Aubrey’s phone so that she had Stacie’s number in her phone as well.

They walked a few more steps together until they eventually had to split off. “Get home safe” Aubrey said when they were about 10ft away from each other.

Stacie turned around to respond, “I will if you will. Text me when you get home safely” she said with a smile.

Aubrey smiled in return. Not a half smile. A full, bright smile that made Stacie felt like she was melting on the spot.

After walking about 10 minutes home, Stacie unlocked her dorm door and toed off her shoes and gathered her things to get ready for bed.

As she was going through her routine for the night, her phone vibrated on the counter. It was a text from Aubrey.

_[Aubrey]: Made it home safe :) I hope you did too_   
_[Stacie]: I did, thanks for checking up_   
_[Aubrey]: Well have a good night. More training to do tomorrow ;)_

“A winky face?” Stacie thought to herself, “What does that even mean?”.   
_[Stacie]: Goodnight Aubrey, can’t wait for tomorrow_

It wasn’t a super witty comeback, but she didn’t know how to respond to the winky face. A heart would be to much, so she left it at that. Stacie looked it over once before hitting send and putting her phone back on the counter and finishing up in the bathroom.

She headed back to her room, careful not to disturb her roommate, Beca. 

Beca was working on a new mix and when she got in the zone nobody wanted to get in the way of it. So Stacie slid into bed and decided to scroll through Instagram for a bit before actually trying to sleep. A few minutes into scrolling, she got a notification. 

_Aubrey Posen has requested to follow you_

Stacie stared at the notification for a minute before clicking on it and hitting the accept button and following Aubrey back.

To say that she didn’t scroll through Aubrey’s page for the rest of the time would be a lie. 

Aubrey had a lot of scenic photos on her page and only a few with herself in them. The ones that she was in also included a redheaded girl. They seemed pretty close, but Stacie had determined that they were just friends from a post that was dedicated to the redhead’s birthday.

After scrolling on Aubrey’s page for a while, Stacie decided that she shouldn’t dive too deep down this rabbit hole and turned off her phone a settled into her bed.

The last thought on her mind before she drifted to bed was how she got so lucky with this job working with Aubrey.


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3!  
> Let me know how you guys like it and if you want to see something in the future even if its unrelated to this specific au :)

Aubrey wasn’t certain why she requested to follow Stacie so quickly on Instagram.

She had already gotten into bed for the night. Carefully getting ready since Chloe was already asleep in her room from her long day at the vet clinic.

As soon as she slipped in bed, Aubrey pulled her phone out and decided to catch up on her social media feed for the day. She was scrolling through Instagram for a while until a thought popped into her head.

She quickly searched for Stacie’s name and it just happened to be one of the first results to appear. She clicked into the profile, curious to learn more about her new co-worker.

This wasn’t typical Aubrey. She didn’t automatically start crushing on someone.

Wait, did she really just say a crush? She wasn’t in middle school anymore, what was going on with her?

Regardless of what she called or didn’t want to call it, she had never felt drawn to someone like this before. The urge to want to get to know somebody like Stacie was new to her.

Aubrey wasn’t an introvert, but she wasn’t exactly an extrovert either. She merely went along with her life and whoever happened to come into her life just did.

It was one of the things she had gotten used to as an army brat. If you don’t make friends, then you can’t get heartbroken when one of you inevitably has to leave.

Besides Chloe, Aubrey had few close friends because of this. Her best friend was Chloe obviously, but she also had a few other close friends like Jessica and Ashley. She kept in contact with some of the friends she had made across the states from moving around so much but they weren’t close like they were in childhood. They were still friends but they wouldn’t be the ones that Aubrey ran towards when she needed some advice.

But something about Stacie just drew Aubrey in. She wanted to know who she was outside of work. Things like what she was studying and what she liked to do to in her free time. It was new and startling but not completely unwelcome.

Her finger hovered over the follow button for a long moment before she decided to just press it. If Stacie followed her back then great, if not then there wasn’t anything that she could do about it now. Besides, she could do some snooping around Stacie’s profile and accidentally liking one of her photos wouldn’t be as awkward if she was already following her.

At least that’s what she told herself from a logistical standpoint. It was purely a cautionary take and not something that she should be overthinking and obsessing over.

Almost immediately, Aubrey got a notification on her end.

_Stacie Conrad has requested to follow you_

She felt a sense of giddiness at the notification bubble on her screen and a small smile crept up on her.

Oh god, if this was how Aubrey was going to react anytime that Stacie was involved then she’s going to be in deep trouble.

She clicked the accept button and went back to Stacie’s page.

There were lots of photos with Stacie and her presumed group of friends. The location of the photos varied a lot, ranging from places like the space museum to some place that resembled a bar with neon lights flashing about.

After scrolling for a bit she decided that she needed to go to bed if she was going on a morning run before work and have the energy to do anything productive.

In the morning, Aubrey went through her usual routine of getting out of bed and getting ready for her run. She threw her hair up in a ponytail, slipped on her shoes, and started her run along the usual route in the neighborhood.

During her run, the only thing on her mind was Stacie. Just perfect, nothing had changed since last night.

This was unusual for the blonde. A little curiosity never killed the cat, but she had never thought of somebody this much. Not even the person who starred in her last relationship. That was something that she didn’t want to get into her thoughts right now so she shook her head, focusing on the feeling of her feet hitting the concrete.

Aubrey had always like running. It helped her blow off steam and was a good way to stay fit.

As she started getting into the groove more, the thoughts of Stacie slowly left her mind.

When she got about 2 miles down, she headed back towards the house.

Chloe wasn’t up yet since it was her day off. She was catching up on sleep and Aubrey didn’t blame her, it was tiring being at the vet clinic and on your feet for long hours.

Once she reached the house, she went into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water before heading to the shower.

After she had showered and freshened up, she decided to pack her bag and head towards one of her frequented cafes. There she could get some assignments done and grab a bite to eat before work.

The café was on campus but only a couple streets down from her house, it only took her about 5 minutes to walk there which was nice.

Aubrey pulled the glass door open and was immediately bathed in the cool breeze that streamed out. She loved this little café. It wasn’t the most popular on campus which meant there wasn’t an absurd amount of people rushing in and out of the building.

The café was a bit rustic. It sort of resembled what some would call a hipster café. Probably decorated like this to draw in more college students. But regardless, it was calm and cozy which was the perfect atmosphere for getting work done.

She walked over to her usual nook in the corner of the establishment and set down her bag on the opposite side of the table to reserve her spot while she went up to the counter to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

After Aubrey obtained her food and bid her thanks to the cashier, she headed back to her spot.

It had a nice vantage point. You could see the entirety of the cafe and the long mahogany counter that made up the barista’s station. Aubrey liked this spot specifically for this reason.

She loved to people watch. Not in a creepy way. She just liked to observe people and how they interacted with each other.

Sometimes she would catch someone yielding a triumphant smile as they finally figured out the last word that completed their crossword puzzle or the shy smile exchanged between newfound lovers who were nervously on their first date.

As much as she loved to people watch, she needed to get some work done.

Aubrey sipped on her coffee for a bit more before pulling out her laptop and getting to work.

A few hours passed before she checked the time.

_3:17_

She had until 4:30, which is when her shift at the diner started. The blonde decided to wrap up her work and head back home to relax for a bit before she had to go to work.

As she was packing up her things and stowing away her laptop in her bag, she heard someone call her name.

“Aubrey?”

She turned her head at the sound and was met with Stacie who was looking at her with a bright smile.

She felt her heartbeat stutter for a moment before she replied, “Stacie? What are you doing here?”

The brunette gave her a light laugh in response before answering, “I’m just grabbing a quick coffee and muffin before I have to head into work. I do go to this college to, you know.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but smile as her cheeks flushed. Stacie went to Barden, she knew that.

Stacie nodded towards her book bag, “Are you heading out?”

Aubrey looked down at her book bag and then up to Stacie before her mind thought of a response, “Uhh, yeah. I just finished my work for today.”

“Then do you mind if I take your spot? I have to finish a few things and send off a few emails before I head into the diner”, Stacie asked her with a slight smile.

Aubrey felt herself smiling back in response, “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Thank you”, the brunette said while slipping into the seat and setting her bag down. “I’ll see you at work later” Stacie added before Aubrey could turn around and leave.

“See you later”, Aubrey said with a smile and wave as she turned around to head out the door.

As she was walking back home, she couldn’t help but think about Stacie and her captivating smile. She really needed to get her feelings in check.

Then, a thought popped in her head.

Aubrey pulled out her phone and found her thread of messages with Stacie. She typed something out really quick and hit the send button.

_[Aubrey]: I hope your enjoying my comfy spot at the café, sad I had to leave_

Aubrey slipped her phone back into her pocket and wondered if it was going too far to text Stacie outside of work related things. But her thoughts were quickly cut off by the buzz in her pocket that signaled a notification.

_[Stacie]: haha, I’m enjoying the spot very much. Thank you for asking :)_

_[Stacie]: Sad you had to leave too, maybe next time I can show up a bit earlier and we can do work together ;)_

Aubrey lit up at the response on her screen. She quickly sent a reply to Stacie and got a message back within a few minutes.

_[Aubrey]: I guess we’ll just have to see ;)_

_[Stacie]: I guess we will. What were you working on?_

As soon as she made her way home, she carefully took off her shoes at the door and placed them to the side.

Aubrey decided to lounge on the couch before she had to get ready and go to work. Her time on the couch consisted of scrolling through the latest news articles, social media, and texting Stacie.

The pair texted about school, their hobbies, and got to know each other a little better.

Aubrey learned that Stacie was studying to be an engineer because she was fascinated with how things worked and wanted to create things to help people.

If Aubrey were like Chloe, she would literally be swooning right now, but she wasn’t. She just appreciated how dedicated Stacie was to her field which is something Aubrey could relate too.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and decided that it was time to get ready for work otherwise she’d be late and that was not something she wanted to have happen.

She slipped on her usual uniform, grabbed her apron, and headed towards the diner as usual. She sent a text to Stacie saying that she’d see her at work in a bit.

She couldn’t help but fixate on Stacie’s contact photo in her phone.

They just looked so _good together_. She couldn’t deny that Stacie was attractive.

Hell, she knew for a fact that Stacie was attractive. But putting them both side by side in one photo, Aubrey thought that they would make a very attractive couple.

But she couldn’t let her mind venture down that path. She didn’t even know if Stacie liked girls. But she did have a good feeling about it.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, Aubrey continued her walk to the diner on autopilot while going through the list of things she had to do when she got there.

It was a Saturday which meant that they were going to be more busy than usual since no one had classes on this day. Around 6-7:30pm is when they were going to be their busiest. She just hoped that Stacie was ready for it.

Aubrey walked up to the familiar glow of neon lights. Even though it was still light outside, the neon lights managed to shine, attracting the casual pedestrian into stopping in for a quick bite to eat or signature milkshake.

She pulled on the worn in handle and walked into the smell of burgers and the sound of fries sizzling in the fryer.

She wasn’t one to indulge in fast food, but Nancy’s diner food wasn’t fast food. It still contained more grease than Aubrey would normally like but it everything there was made with care and could slip you into a food coma from how fulfilling it was.

Aubrey greeted the other workers while making her way to the behind the counter. The normal cooks were there, Nancy was handling the register, and there was one other server tending to a booth.

“How’s it been today?” Aubrey asked while wandering over to Nancy who was putting money in the drawer.

“Oh, same old thing. Pretty steady for a Saturday” the older women replied while putting the last few dollar bills into the drawer.

She turned around and regarded Aubrey for a moment.

The blonde didn’t know how to react. Usually, Nancy would give her a joke of some sort or at least a laugh but she was looking at her like she was judging Aubrey’s response to something that she was going to say.

As quick as her expression came, it disappeared. Replaced with a reassuring smile.

Aubrey was still curious to what Nancy was going to say to her but the moment had passed. She’d ask her about it later.

Just then, the door jingled and Stacie walked in.

She walked up to the women behind the counter, “Aubrey, Nancy, how are you doing today?”

Aubrey turned to look at the brunette. Stacie’s eyes were shining and her smile was still so alluring that she couldn’t help but smile right back. “Great, I just got here a moment ago.”

Nancy looked between the two girls who had their gazes locked on each other. She knew what it was, but she didn’t dare say anything about it when both the girls were present and in company.

“Hi, you must be Stacie!” the other waiter said when he came back from the booth that he was at.

He stuck the tray he was carrying under his arm to extend a hand towards Stacie.

Stacie finally tore her eyes away from Aubrey to look at the offered handshake.

She politely shook the boy’s hand and introduced herself, “Yep, that’s me.”

The boy had short and slightly curling sandy brown hair paired with a kind and genuine smile. His whole demeanor fit right in with this homey diner.

The boy smiled at her and introduced himself, “I’m Benji. I hope that Aubrey isn’t being too hard on you.”

Aubrey looked offended for a moment, “Benji! When am I ever hard on you?”

He looked at her with a pointedly and she rolled her eyes good naturedly, “All right, all right. I can be a bit uptight when I’m stressed out.”

Benji just laughed in response. Then Nancy cut in, “Oh yeah. We all know how you get when you’re stressed out, honey.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes for real this time. “I can’t believe that I’m already being teased. And I haven’t even clocked in yet!”

Nancy patted her on the shoulder while moving around her.

“Only out of love. Call me if you need anything, I have a feeling I’m gonna be needed in the kitchen today” Nancy stated before she made her departure.

Benji nodded and bid his farewells to the duo and left to refill the glasses of the guests in the diner.

“And then there were two”, Stacie chuckled.

“And then there were two” Aubrey echoed, the smallest of smiles gracing her face.

The pair took in each other’s presence for a moment before turning to the newest guest who had just entered the diner.

“We’ll be with you in a moment, sit anywhere you’d like” Aubrey said to the newcomer.

“Guess we should probably clock in”, Stacie suggested. Aubrey nodded in agreement and made her way to punch in her number to start her shift. Stacie followed her and did the same.

When Stacie turned back around from clocking in, Aubrey was already looking at her. “So, today is going to be a bit busier than yesterday but you should hold up fine. If you need any help just call me or Benji over.”

Stacie nodded in acknowledgement and Aubrey left to help the guest that sat themselves in a booth along the window.

Stacie took in a deep breath. It was her first Saturday working and her first shift serving alone. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but she had Aubrey, Nancy, and Benji there to help her.

She had a pretty good grasp for serving already, but she was still nervous regardless.

The first hour passed by surprisingly quick. She served a few tables but it wasn’t extremely busy quite yet.

So far, it was going well. No broken glasses or plates and only a quick question about cashing someone out.

Since they weren’t busy yet, Stacie and Aubrey had a few moments here and there when they could have a quick conversation. As much as she had enjoyed texting Aubrey, it was nice being able to talk to her in person.

Of course, they had continued texting each other during the day when Stacie ran into her at the café but talking in person was different.

It was nice to hear Aubrey’s tone of voice, see her facial expressions, and hear her laugh. God her laugh. Stacie could listen to it all day.

When the clock struck 6 o’ clock the diner was quickly filling up from everyone getting dinner. Stacie and Aubrey each had about 4 tables each, the amount of work they each had prevented any further conversations from happening for the next hour and half.

It was a bit hectic trying to maneuver around each other at first. At the soda fountain, Stacie almost spilled her tray full of drinks while Aubrey was filling her glasses with ice. Then at the cook’s window, Stacie and Aubrey grabbed the same dish, unsure of which table it belonged to because they had both rung in the same thing and the ticket wasn’t attatched.

But after the first hour of this uncoordinated dance at each encounter, they got into a groove. Stacie would fill extra glasses with ice so that Aubrey would only have to fill it up with whatever drink was ordered and quickly pass by without much hassle. At the cook’s window, Aubrey had organized the plates by table, so that they all knew which plate belonged where.

It was truly a good process that the two of them had developed, just doing little things to make everything flow better.

Aubrey couldn’t help but to think they just fit together just like a missing puzzle piece, even though it was a little rocky at first.

But after that it was smooth sailing for the rest of the night and the dinner rush only lasted until 7:35pm.

When the clock hit 9:00pm, Benji had already clocked out for the night and said his goodbyes to all the workers before departing.

Now the only servers were Aubrey and Stacie, which was fine because they only had 2 tables at the moment.

Since it was slower, this granted the girls an opportunity to come down from the adrenaline they were running on from the dinner rush and catch up.

Aubrey and Stacie exchanged little stories that they had about the tables they were serving.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe she tried to give you a Chuck-e-Cheese gift card” Stacie laughed, gripping her stomach.

“I know! But to be fair, she thought it was her credit card at first and was confused when I handed it back to her right away” Aubrey responded laughing along.

The rest of the night went like that. The pair sharing stories of about their tables or things about their life.

The next time that Aubrey checked, it was already 10:42pm. Their shift ended at 11pm and Aubrey was a little reluctant to leave, despite being on her feet for most of the day.

Stacie seemed to feel this way too, glancing at the clock with a somber look every few minutes.

Once it was 11, the pair clocked out and went to say goodbye to Nancy.

The older women walked up to the both of them and thanked them for doing a good job tonight with how busy it was.

“Alright, have a good night now. Don’t get into too much trouble” Nancy said with a wink.

Both girls rolled her eyes and laughed at her comment. They waved to the cooks before heading out the front door.

“Sooo”, Stacie said while tucking her hands into her back pockets as they started walking.

“Soo?” Aubrey inquired.

“I guess I’ll see you, uhm, I actually don’t remember the next day we have a shift together” Stacie said with a chuckle. “I guess I should’ve checked the schedule.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh, “Of course you didn’t.”

“Hey! We were busy today and it was my first day on my own!” Stacie shot back.

Aubrey put her hands up in surrender, “Ok, ok. I’ll give you that”

The pair started walking further in a comfortable silence before Aubrey spoke again, “You actually did pretty good today.”

The comment was genuine and made Stacie feel much happier than she should’ve. She was only doing her job after all.

“Well thank you. And thank you for the all of the help tonight”, Stacie replied.

“Anytime”, Aubrey said before glancing up and seeing that they had reached the crosswalk.

“Well, I guess this is where we spit up” Stacie said while turning her full attention to Aubrey, realizing that they had stopped walking together at this point yesterday too.

“Yeah, well I’ll see you tomorrow. When we _both_ work” the blonde emphasized.

Stacie smiled at her comment, “I look forward to it Posen.”

Aubrey was caught off guard for a second. The only person that referred to her as Posen was Nancy. But hearing it from Stacie was different, and she enjoyed it in a different way.

She gave Stacie a smile before turning to head down the opposite side of the street. But before she got too far she turned around, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Conrad.”

The smirk that spread across Stacie’s face should have been illegal. It made Aubrey want to run right over and kiss that smirk right off her face, but she couldn’t do that. Why was she thinking of kissing Stacie right now?

“Oh, so this is how it’s gonna be”, Stacie replied while walking backwards and down her end of the street.

“I guess it is”, Aubrey responded before turning around and walking towards her house.

Once she got home, Chloe was sitting in the living room with some reality T.V show playing and a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

“How was work?” the redhead asked her roommate who was slipping out of her apron and shoes.

Aubrey just smiled at her before launching into the events that transpired today.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stacie and Beca chatted about their schedule for next week while waiting for their food to come up.  
> They ate and talked as they normally did until Beca’s eyes went wide and she almost dropped her sandwich back onto her plate.  
> Stacie looked at her curiously, “What? You look like you just saw a ghost.”  
> Beca quickly looked at her like a deer in headlights, “She’s coming here.”  
> Ok, now Stacie was confused. “What? Who’s coming here?”  
> She tried to turn around to look through the window to where Beca had been looking but the small brunette grabbed her arm and yanked her back around.  
> “Don’t look!”  
> “Well, I’m not gonna know who you’re talking about if I don’t look!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday!  
> Feedback in the comments is highly appreciated :)

Stacie knew that logistically; Aubrey wasn’t into girls. But she couldn’t help but wonder- or hope that the blonde was.

She felt like Aubrey was at least interested from all of the stolen glances during their shift yesterday and how Aubrey just _acted_ differently around her.

Stacie might also just be looking into things too much. Searching for something that wasn’t actually there.

So, she tried to rationalize it to prevent herself from digging herself into a hole that lead to nowhere. This is a trait that she’s had for as long as she can remember. If feelings get in the way, she pushes them aside and finds out a logical explanation for it.

Love wasn’t real. It was just composed of chemicals combining within your body, sending a signal to your brain that supposedly told you that, _you’re in love._ But sex was real. It was tangible and sent a load of great chemicals to your brain too.

So, between the idea of finding “true love” and having casual sex. Well, Stacie chose sex.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in love. She did. She loved her mom and her dog who were back at home in Portland. She also loved her friends at Barden. But finding someone who she was _in love with_ , faults and all, was a bit scary and unrealistic.

Bottom line is that Aubrey was most likely not going to be interested in Stacie romantically whether it was casual sex or an actual relationship. Aubrey didn’t seem like the type for casual sex anyways and Stacie actually enjoyed talking to her. A friend with benefits situation would get out of hand, she could already tell.

Before she could ponder this dilemma any further, Beca came into her room and plopped onto Stacie’s desk chair with a heavy sigh.

“Well hello to you too” the brunette said dryly while focusing on her best friend.

Beca had been Stacie’s best friend since high school. She grew up in Portland and Beca just happened to move there at the end of junior high with her dad. They weren’t really close in middle school, only sharing a history class together. But when they got to high school and most of the other girls were focused on finding their next future husband and planning their fantasy weddings, well that’s when they really became friends.

Beca rubbed her face with her hands and mumbled back.

“I can’t understand you if you don’t speak up, short stack” Stacie said with a smirk.

Beca uncovered her face and gave Stacie a glare.

Beca usually wasn’t this wound up. She was a pretty laid back and easy-going person, so Stacie knew something was on her mind since she decided to barge into Stacie’s room unannounced.

But Stacie gave the smaller girl a minute to compose herself before asking about her problems. Beca wasn’t really known for being good at expressing her emotions outright, if at all.

After a minute or two of Beca trying to start a sentence, she finally got it out, “Ok, so like uhm hypothetically speaking. What would someone do if there was this really cute girl that was flirting with you _all the time_ but you’re really bad at context clues and don’t know if it’s her personality or if she’s trying to tell you something?”

Stacie just blinked. Beca had said that entire sentence without taking a breath, which was pretty impressive given her small stature.

This was something that Stacie had to think about for a second. She was a naturally flirty person herself and Beca is very oblivious to these kinds of things. So for her to take notice and be torn between the two, well Stacie wanted to meet the girl that could get any idea of flirting through to Beca’s head.

“Well, if you’ve actually caught onto the fact that she’s flirting with you then she probably is doing it on purpose” Stacie shrugged.

The brunette just threw her head back and looked up to the ceiling with a groan.

That was more like Beca.

Stacie looked at her wearily, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?”

Beca looked back up at her while furrowing her brows. “No, its just- I don’t know. Why would she be flirting with _me_ when she looks like _that_ ” she explained while waving her hands.

Stacie’s eyebrow shot up and she started smirking. “And what does she look like exactly?”

“Fucking beautiful” Beca deadpanned.

Ok, so that was a new phrase to come out of her best friend. Usually Beca could only think or imply how cute or pretty she though a girl was. But for her to come right out and say it? This girl had to be an angel.

But still probably not as gorgeous as Aubrey.

She really had to stop letting her mind drift back to Aubrey.

“So have you talked to her?” Stacie asked.

“Yeah, she stops by the radio station sometimes and we talk about music mostly” Beca shrugged.

“Does she ever buy anything, or does she just stop by?” Stacie knew all the moves.

Stop by your crush’s job, strike up a conversation, sprinkle in a bit-maybe a lot of flirting, and boom. Hook, line, and sinker.

If that’s what this girl was doing, then Beca was in a load of trouble.

“I mean, she bought a record the first time. Kinda old school pop, an Ace of Base album. But she only says she’s looking every other time she comes in.”

“And how often does this girl come in?”

“Uh, maybe like twice a week”

That should’ve been Beca’s first sign. But she’s very oblivious. What would she be doing without Stacie in her life?

“Right Beca, A girl comes into the radio station. Twice a week. To talk to you and not buy anything. Do you think that means something?” Stacie stated out very clearly.

“I mean, maybe?” her best friend replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck.

God she was dense.

“Dude! She likes you” Stacie exclaimed while gesturing wildly.

She gave Beca a look while sighing, “I can’t believe you. She’s basically writing it out on her forehead every time she enters the store.”

The brunette retaliated, “Well I don’t know! I didn’t want to get my hopes up! Why would she be interested in a college kid that works part time at a radio station?”

Stacie was really going to age ten years because of this girl.

“Beca. Did it not occur to you that she’s a college kid too? Why else would she be going to the _campus radio station_?” Stacie laid out slowly.

Beca slumped against the chair and crossed her arms, “Yeah, I guess that’s a good point.”

“Thank you. Now are you gonna ask her out?”

“What?! Why would you think that I even have the balls to ask her out? Do you not remember that I just said she was fucking beautiful? I don’t have a chance.”

Stacie rolled her eyes, “We just went over this. She goes to the radio station to see _you_. She’s probably waiting for you to ask her out.”

“Ok yeah whatever, I’ll think about it. But if she’s coming in for me then she can just ask me out first”, Beca replied.

Stacie inwardly groaned. At this pace, Beca would steer the conversation away from music in the next few months and still not ask the mystery girl out. She just hoped that the other girl wasn’t as oblivious as Beca.

“Anyways, how are things at your new job? Anything interesting?” Beca asked the brunette who was now lounging on her bed.

Stacie didn’t really know where to start first, “Its good, I really like the people there.”

“People as in customers you can check out or coworkers you can check out?” Beca smirked.

Stacie gave her a incredulous look and tried to play it off, “What? Why would you automatically assume that I’m checking people out when I work and how would you even get that from what I just said?”

Beca just smiled, “Well you’ve been on your phone more than usual since you’ve started and every time it pings, you either get a little sad or get this stupid grin on your face. So who is it?”

Ok, so Beca wasn’t clueless when it came to other peoples love lives. But she was terrible at handling her own.

Stacie rolled her eyes without replying.

Beca held eye contact and rose an eyebrow, challenging Stacie to lie to her right now.

Stacie gave in with a sigh, “Yeah, so there’s someone-”

“I knew it!” Beca cut in.

Stacie brought the conversation back, “But she’s my coworker and I don’t even know if she likes girls. Did I mention that she's my coworker?”

“Well, it’s not like that’d be something that has ever stopped you before” Beca said nonchalantly.

Stacie had to give her that one, being coworkers or employee/customer hasn’t stopped her before. But Aubrey was just different. She’s been working there for way longer than Stacie has and if they were to date and something went terribly wrong, one of them would have to leave and it would have to be Stacie.

She genuinely enjoyed working there and didn’t think there would be another job opening in a casual environment with a manager as flexible as Nancy.

“She’s just different, I don’t know. I can’t pinpoint it yet” was Stacie’s only reply.

Beca seemed to accept her answer, “You wanna grab something to eat before we have to work?”

Stacie glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 1 o’clock and she still hadn’t had anything to eat all day.

“Yeah. Where do you wanna go?” The brunette asked.

The pair ended up choosing the café where Stacie ran into Aubrey yesterday. So, she might’ve been a little biased when they were deciding on a place to eat, but if she ran into Aubrey and got a little time with the blonde outside of work then it was worth it.

As they walked into the building, Stacie immediately scanned the room. Sadly, there was no sign of the blonde.

They walked up to order their food and sat down at one of the tables near the entrance that was against the giant glass window.

Stacie and Beca chatted about their schedule for next week while waiting for their food to come up.

They ate and talked as they normally did until Beca’s eyes went wide and she almost dropped her sandwich back onto her plate.

Stacie looked at her curiously, “What? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Beca quickly looked at her like a deer in headlights, “She’s coming here.”

Ok, now Stacie was confused. “What? Who’s coming here?”

She tried to turn around to look through the window to where Beca had been looking but the small brunette grabbed her arm and yanked her back around.

“Don’t look!”

“Well, I’m not gonna know who you’re talking about if I don’t look!”

“It’s fine if you don’t look. It seems like they’re coming in here anyways” Beca said while sinking into her seat a little bit.

Stacie really wanted to just turn around and look at who Beca was talking about when the door opened, and two girls walked in.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust with the sun shining through the door.

“Aubrey?” Stacie said like a question.

Was Beca crushing on Aubrey? Well, she would understand how Beca was a blubbering mess, but she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

“Stacie?” Aubrey said in response while walking up to their table.

Beca looked back and forth between the duo, trying to figure out how they knew each other since they shared the same friend group.

Then the girl that Aubrey was walking with approached the table too, “Hi, Beca!”

She was a redhead with lively eyes. Her smile was as bright as the sun and Beca’s only response was a stammer before she finally got a coherent sentence out.

“Hey, Chlo” Beca managed a little sheepishly. The redheads smile got even brighter, Stacie didn’t think it was possible.

Stacie made eye contact with Aubrey and the pair looked at each other, having a silent conversation that was only between the two of them.

Suddenly the redhead, Chloe, looked to Stacie. “Hi, I’m Chloe! I’m guessing that your name is Stacie.”

Stacie gave her a smile and stuck out her hand, “Yep, that’s me”

Aubrey watched the exchange between her friends. She had no reason to be nervous, but she wanted them to get along.

When they finished introductions and a little bit of chit chat, Aubrey asked with a faint smirk, “So, you’re getting lunch here again?”

Stacie knew exactly what she was trying to get at, but she didn’t want to let her know that she wanted to come here because she ran into Aubrey yesterday.

“Yeah, Beca wanted to know if we wanted to get lunch before we both had to work and this café is conveniently close to our place.”

Beca gave her a look, but quickly schooled her features. This café wasn’t that close to their place, it was within walking distance but not the closest. In fact, they had passed two other cafes on the way to this one.

“Well, I’m glad I ran into you. I’ll see you at work later?” Aubrey asked.

Beca quickly looked to Stacie, putting two and two together. She finally realized that Aubrey was the girl Stacie was caught up with at work.

Stacie knew she was going to have to explain everything to Beca right now, so she looked to the blonde and redhead still standing by their table.

“We don’t want to keep you from your lunch, but it was nice meeting you Chloe. And I’ll see you at work later, _Posen_.” Stacie said with a proud smile.

Chloe looked at Aubrey with surprise. She didn’t know anyone that could get away with calling Aubrey by her last name, besides Nancy.

Aubrey ignored Chloe’s curious look, bidding her goodbyes as they walked toward the counter to order their food.

Once the girls were out of earshot, Beca turned to Stacie. “Alright, what the hell was that?”

Stacie just shrugged while taking another bite of her sandwich. When she finished swallowing her remaining lunch, she looked to Beca, “I could ask you the same thing.”

Beca glowered slightly at her comment, “Ok, but I’m not the one who made us get lunch at the same place you did yesterday just for a chance to run into hot blonde over there.”

At the mention of Aubrey, Stacie turned her head to look at her. She and Chloe were sitting in the booth that Aubrey had occupied yesterday, they seemed to be engaged in an interesting conversation. Probably about her and Beca.

Stacie turned her attention back to Beca, “Well, know I know what your mystery girl looks like and I can tell you that she's interested.”

Beca shook her head, “We’ll get into that after you spill everything that’s happened between you and Aubrey. I could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

Stacie rolled her eyes before starting from her first encounter with Aubrey.

She couldn’t wait to go into work later.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They walked side-by-side on the way to Aubrey’s house, keeping casual conversation.  
> Aubrey had to remind herself that this was not a date. They were just coworkers who happened to get dinner after work and now she was being walked home. For safety reasons. Nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!  
> Anyone else loosing track of the days or is that just me?

Aubrey was listening to whatever Chloe was talking about. Well, she was trying at least. It wasn’t her fault that there was an attractive brunette across the café who was continuously making eye contact with her.

“Did you even listen to what I just said?” Chloe huffed.

Aubrey turned her head back to her best friend, “Yeah, you said something about the radio station and seeing Beca there.”

Aubrey heard snippets of what Chloe was saying and mashed them together, hoping that Chloe would take her response for an adequate answer.

Chloe rolled her eyes, “I guess that’s good enough. But what I was getting at was that Beca is the girl from the radio station. You know? The one that I keep going to see?” she dragged out the last line, giving Aubrey time to process her statement.

“Wait. That girl over there with the ear monstrosities is, and I quote, ‘the radio station babe’?” Aubrey exclaimed.

“Yes! Jeez, keep your voice down. I don’t need her to overhear this conversation when she's sitting right over there” Chloe gestured.

Now it was Aubrey’s turn to roll her eyes, “It’s not like she doesn’t know that you like her. I could pick up the sexual tension between you two right when you guys made eye contact.”

Chloe sat back in her seat with her cup of coffee, “Well I could say the same about you and Stacie.”

Aubrey would retaliate but she was right, Stacie and Aubrey basically had a private, unspoken conversation in front of their best friends when they had only known each other for a little under a week.

Something between them just _clicked._

She saw the two brunettes get up to leave and couldn’t help herself from looking over to Stacie. The brunette seemed to have the same idea because she turned around and made direct eye contact with Aubrey. She gave her a quick smile and a wave as she walked out the glass door.

Chloe turned to her as she waved bye to Beca as well, “We are so screwed.”

Aubrey hummed in agreement, picking the rest of her sandwich and finishing it.

After finishing their lunch at the café, the two roommates had walked back to their house and got ready for work. Chloe had another volunteering shift at the veterinarian and Aubrey was working with Stacie again. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too busy today, she wasn’t in the mood to run around the diner while juggling multiple tables. If they weren’t busy, this also meant that she could talk to Stacie more.

Once Aubrey got herself put together, she made her way to the diner. When she got there, she was surprised when Stacie was already there and clocking in.

“We’re you just itching to work again?” Aubrey teased.

Stacie turned around and gave her a sarcastic laugh, “Yeah, I just love spending my free time stuck in this little diner instead of hanging out with my friends.”

Aubrey smiled at her response and walked around the brunette to clock herself in.

“Well I hope that you aren’t missing out on too much. No big parties or anything?” Aubrey replied.

Stacie shook her head lightly, “I was just teasing, I’m actually not tired of working with you. Yet.” She ended the with a little wink which made Aubrey’s stomach fill with butterflies, but now wasn’t the time to overthink that.

“That’s good to hear. And for the record, I’m not tired of you yet either, Conrad” the blonde shot back before turning around and making her way over to the couple that just walked into the diner.

Aubrey had been about an hour into her shift and luckily for her, there were many campus events going on today so the diner wasn’t crazy busy. But they had a nice stream of people coming in and out.

Most of them were just ordering food for pick-up, opting to bring the food back to their dorms and hang out with friends there.

This allowed for the two waitresses to stand in the corner where the soda machine was and just talk, which is what they were currently doing right now.

Stacie was in the middle of telling Aubrey about her childhood. So far, Aubrey learned that the brunette was an absolute nerd that balanced out her schoolwork with soccer. Soccer was a way for her to get outside instead of spending all of her time reading science books, but she stopped playing when she was in the 8th grade. At that point, all the girls on the team were too focused on how being on the team would boost their popularity and Stacie wasn’t invested in that so she quit. Instead, she focused on school and trying to narrow down what she was interested in.

Stacie told her that she was always interested in science and how the world worked, which is what made her want to go into chemical engineering with a minor in astrophysics.

When Aubrey learned about Stacie’s major, she was surprised. She thought Stacie would be a sort of education or fashion design major. The younger girl didn’t give off how smart she was on the surface and Aubrey felt a little bad to judge her based on looks.

She had also learned that Stacie grew up in Portland and was friends with Beca since high school. This led them into talking about Beca and Chloe and how obvious their two best friends had been around each other. They promised to try and get the two set up on a date.

After conceiving a plan to get their best friends together they talked more about their respective childhoods.

Aubrey told her about how she had to move around often, focusing solely on her schoolwork because she moved around too much to commit to any team sports. She instead took up singing. It was something that she could do no matter where they moved and didn’t depend on other people, until she joined the Barden Bellas but by then she was already in college and settled down for the next four years of her life.

Aubrey talked about things that only a few of the people closest to her knew, things that took Chloe a few months to learn but only a few days for Stacie. That should’ve been the blondes first hint, but she was too caught up in Stacie to fully process that fact.

The more she got to know about the brunette, the more she wanted to quit working and just listen to her life story.

Stacie Conrad was intriguing.

But they were still at work after all and their conversations were regularly interrupted by a new customer walking in or Nancy asking one of the girls for help.

At the end of their shift they were both ready to go home. It was about 10:00pm and neither the girls had eaten yet.

Aubrey thought about asking Stacie if she wanted to go get food somewhere but thought it’d be too early for that. She didn’t even know if her dynamic with Stacie stretched to more than just being co-workers. That would be something to ask about after they had been working together for a while, but Stacie beat her to it.

“So, I haven’t eaten since lunch earlier and was planning to make a quick stop to the café we were at earlier if you wanted to join me. Don’t feel any pressure though” the brunette asked. She seemed kind of nervous, which was a good sign since Aubrey was feeling a little nervous herself.

“Yeah, that’d be fun. We might have to hurry though, they close at 10:30” the blonde responded.

The two walked over to clock out and say goodbye to the other workers.

As they were making rounds, Nancy asked Aubrey to stop by her office for a quick minute before she headed out.

“I’m going to talk to Nancy about something really quick, can you count the drawer and we’ll just head out when I’m done?” Aubrey asked.

Stacie nodded in agreement, “Yeah, just come get me when you’re done”

Aubrey turned and walked towards the small office space in the back corner of the diner, opening the door slowly before slipping in.

“Hey, what’s up?” the blonde said while closing the door but leaving it cracked an inch before sitting down in the chair across the desk of the older woman.

Nancy was like a grandma too her. She was truly someone that Aubrey looked up to. She started this diner even when people around her told her that it wouldn’t be successful, the kept saying that college students only wanted to go to cool hip bistros and clubs. But Nancy waved them off and pursued her passion. In the end, it worked out amazingly well.

Nancy looked up to her and put her paperwork aside. “I just wanted to catch up. We weren’t that busy today and you usually come bother me when you’re bored”, she said with a slight laugh.

Aubrey felt a little bad, she usually did check up on Nancy throughout her shift. Especially when they were slower, but she had been so caught up talking to Stacie.

Aubrey opened her mouth, ready to apologize but Nancy brought up a hand to stop her, “It’s alright sweetie, I like that you’re not all wound up and striving to work yourself to the core.”

Aubrey was about to argue that she didn’t work herself to the core but knew better, she did tend to overwork herself a lot.

“She's good for you” Nancy added.

Aubrey’s eyebrow shot up, “Who?”

Nancy rolled her eyes at the oblivious girl. Aubrey was smart. Book smart and street smart sure, but she was entirely clueless on navigating her feelings and anything emotional. She could understand what she was feeling but trying to put things into words and express it to another human being, that was a different story and something she struggled with since she was young.

“Stacie, she's good for you. Keeping you from stressing out over the little things at the diner.”

Aubrey sat on the statement for a minute. She wasn’t less stressed out, at least she thought. She was just more interested in talking to Stacie than continuously reorganizing their supplies.

“I mean, I guess. I don’t know, we haven’t even known each other that long” the blonde responded.

Nancy gave her a soft look, “How long you’ve known someone isn’t the main factor in how they fit into your life. Just keep that in mind.”

Aubrey could only nod, not knowing what to say. But Nancy seemed contempt with their conversation, signaling at the door, “I think you have a dinner to attend.”

Aubrey looked at the door, she could see Stacie through the small opening that she left. The brunette was done counting the money in the drawer and was leaning against the counter, playing on her phone.

She got up, ready to leave but rounded around the desk to give Nancy a genuine hug. “Thank you for always looking out for me” the blonde whispered.

“Anytime, honey. You’re like one of my own kids,” after a second Nancy added in, “Now get going!”

Aubrey walked out the office and closed the door behind her, making her way over to Stacie who put her phone in her back pocket as the blonde approached.

“Ready?”

“Yep, let’s get going”

As they made their way to the café there was a comfortable silence, neither girls feeling the need to make small talk in order to fill it.

It was easy, to just walk with Stacie and not feel the need to talk about pointless things that Aubrey didn’t care about. She had done it too much when she was younger, either trying to make new friends at every new school she attended or when she was brought up to meet a high-ranking officer that her dad was colleagues with.

When she was with Chloe, there wasn’t usually a silence that enveloped them. Chloe could talk for days. It was just her bubbly personality. So, Aubrey appreciated this newfound comfort in her friendship with Stacie.

Maybe Nancy was right, being around Stacie was good for her. Her presence allowed Aubrey to just breathe and not feel the need to go out of her way to do anything like fill the silence.

Stacie was the first one to break the silence once they were about halfway into the walk, “What’d Nancy want to talk about?”

Aubrey didn’t expect her to ask that question. But she quickly made something up on the spot, “Oh, she just wanted to double check on some of the inventory really quick before she placed the weekly order.”

Stacie nodded, accepting Aubrey’s answer.

When they both made it to the café it was already 10:15pm, meaning that the café closed in about 15 minutes.

Aubrey was a little disappointed since they probably couldn’t eat together now. But before she could get too much into her own head, Stacie chimed in.

“Well, we can always just order and eat somewhere in the quad” the brunette suggested, looking over at Aubrey.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

After both girls had gotten their food to-go they headed for the quad, which was a sprawling field in the middle of Barden where the activity fair was held in the fall. There were some benches scattered about and walkways that connected the different sides of campus.

The was still only a few comments here and there, most of the time spent in a companionable silence.

Their dynamic was easy going. It took minimal effort to just be around each other and it was something that Aubrey never had around other people.

When she was growing up, she had to try to make friends because she was always moving and it seemed that everyone had already fit into a certain clique. Then she got to college and most of the students at Barden came from the same high school. Although she knew Chloe and a few others from her time spent in Georgia, it still required effort to make friends.

But she eventually found them with when she joined the Barden Bellas. Chloe, Jessica, and Ashley were Aubrey’s closest friends. She also had a few friends outside Barden but they were the ones that she would get lunch with, not the ones she would run to with her problems.

But Stacie wasn’t like either of those types of friends. It was different. It was a good different.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Stacie bumped her shoulder.

“You know, if you were just gonna wallow in your thoughts we could’ve gone to the library or something”, the brunette teased.

Aubrey shot her a look, “First of all, I don’t _wallow_. Secondly, I wouldn’t go to the library if I was. There’s better places than that.”

Now Stacie was a bit intrigued. “Well where would you go then?”

Aubrey had to think about it. She had a place on campus that she liked to go when she needed a breather. It was a rooftop garden above one of agriculture buildings. It was calm and very few people went up there, but she never shared it with anyone besides Chloe.

In fact, Chloe had never been up there with Aubrey despite knowing that the blonde escaped there whenever she needed for the past 4 years.

She glanced at her wristwatch. It was already 10:47pm, the garden was probably closed anyways.

“It’s closed now but I’ll show you when its open sometime.” Aubrey answered, looking at the taller girl genuinely.

Stacie smiled at the softness in Aubrey’s features. She was pretty- absolutely gorgeous. But at work, there was this wall. A guard the blonde had when talking to customers and their other co-workers. It was nice to see Aubrey engaged in conversation without having to put up a front.

After a moment, Stacie thought she’d better respond. Staring at Aubrey that long was bound to give something away. “That sounds like a plan then”, she said throwing her sandwich wrapper away in a nearby trashcan and wiping her hands on the side of her jeans.

Aubrey followed suit and turned around to face the brunette. She never noticed it, but Stacie had really pretty eyes. They were green with small specks of blue around the outside, the opposite of Aubrey’s own blue ones.

There was a charged moment between the two as they stood in the middle of the quiet quad, neither one making a move.

But the moment was broken when someone in a group across the lawn yelled something to his group. They were most likely going to a bar down the street.

This caught both girls’ attention and they turned to the sound.

When Aubrey looked back, she suggested that they should probably get going and Stacie agreed.

“Where do you live?” Stacie asked.

“Uh, right on 18th street. I live in one of the houses with Chloe.” The blonde replied while walking in that general direction.

“I can walk you home” as Stacie said that, Aubrey whipped her head up to regard the taller girl.

“Just in case! You know, for safety reasons. It’s kind of late and that’s off campus, but only if you want me too” Stacie added hastily.

Aubrey had never really seen Stacie nervous before. Even though they had only known each other for a little under a week, she noticed that Stacie took everything with stride. When Aubrey was teaching Stacie how to serve, she still managed to be confident in the whole process. Now, stood before her was an unsure girl offering to walk Aubrey home because she lived off campus and wanted her to make it home safe.

Aubrey Posen was doomed.

After thinking it over for a second, she relented, “Ok, but next time I’ll walk _you_ home.”

Stacie gave her a beaming smile. It was a new one, genuine and bright. Aubrey could really get used to seeing her smile like this.

“Alright, then lead the way” Stacie joked, she seemed to be over her nerves now that Aubrey agreed.

They walked side-by-side on the way to Aubrey’s house, keeping casual conversation.

Aubrey had to remind herself that this was not a date. They were just coworkers who happened to get dinner after work and now she was being walked home. _For safety reasons_. Nothing more.

Aubrey liked Stacie from the start. But after tonight she thought that maybe it could be more than platonical.

But they couldn’t date. They worked together and things could get messy. It just wasn’t a viable option. Maybe if they had met somewhere else then things would be different.

As they neared the house, Aubrey started to get nervous. She didn’t really know what a proper goodbye would be. They were a little more than just coworkers now, but they weren’t best friends yet. And as much as Chloe liked hugs, Aubrey wasn’t really fond of them. Maybe it was because she wasn’t used to receiving hugs while growing up.

While Aubrey was thinking over her options, she hadn’t noticed that they had already made their way up the few steps leading to the door and were now standing on the small porch in front of her house.

Before Aubrey could process what was happening, Stacie was leaning down.

Was Stacie going to kiss her now? She was leaning down, Aubrey’s heart sped up a thousand times faster than normal. She was about to lean in, but Stacie’s arms came around and embraced her.

At first, Aubrey was confused. Why was she not kissing one Stacie Conrad right now?

After smothering out her disappointment, she brought her arms up to return the hug.

It wasn’t like any of Chloe’s hugs. Chloe’s hugs were big bear hugs, a little suffocating but happy and excited.

Stacie’s hugs were different. It was soft, secure, and not suffocating at all. Aubrey could get used to this. But she had to let go because they were friends, and they couldn’t be more than friends.

Aubrey disentangled her arm from Stacie’s and looked up.

The brunette was already looking at her, and she looked a little breathless. Almost as much as Aubrey felt.

“So, I’ll see you at work?” It was as quiet as a whisper, Aubrey didn’t want to break the comforting bubble they were in.

Stacie nodded, her eyes flitting down when Aubrey spoke but moved quickly back up. “Yeah, I’ll see you at work. Wednesday, I think?”

Aubrey smirked at her, “You still don’t know when you work?”

The soft and intimate bubble they were in effectively burst, and they were back to teasing each other.

“I have a picture on my phone, thank you very much”, the brunette replied smugly while taking out her phone to show her proof.

“Yep, Wednesday. I’ll see you in 3 days, Posen”, Stacie said while making her way down the stairs to walk back to her dorm.

“Can’t wait, Conrad”, Aubrey replied while putting her key in the doorknob.

As she made her way inside, Chloe was sitting on a stool at their kitchen counter. She probably heard their entire conversation, but if she was listening, she didn’t bring it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback appreciated :)   
> Let me know what you guys like/want to see in the future.


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finished studying for midterms and decided to continue studying together since it kept them on track. Not that either one ever strayed away from their academics, but it was nice to sit and study in silence while being able to pull each other out of rigorous study sessions and take a break.  
> Stacie finished studying for the day and was lounging in the chair while playing a game on her phone. Aubrey was still going over a few things in a case for her mock trial that was coming up on Thursday.  
> Finally, she closed the heavy textbook beside her and slumped back in her seat which made Stacie look up from her phone.  
> “Tough case?” the brunette asked sympathetically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Hope you guys are doing okay!  
> I snuck in a jealous Aubrey for this chapter, so let me know what you guys think ;)

It had only been a day and a half and Stacie couldn’t wait to get back to work.

Most people don’t enjoy going into work. But that’s because they probably didn’t work with such good people. And yes, good people extended out beyond Aubrey and Nancy.

It had been officially two and a half months since Stacie started working there. Two and a half months of getting to know everyone from the workers to the regulars.

Benji was an especially friendly face around the diner and the cooks were always cracking jokes. She got along well with all of them, better with some than others but that was normal in a work environment with diverse people. But it was small and they were like a family in their own way.

Stacie also got to know the regulars that came in at least once a week. Most of them were older people and a few college students. Stacie learned that the older patrons of the diner lived near there and liked to walk to the diner to get a coffee and a small meal while reading the daily newspaper or doing Sudoku puzzles. It had a sort of calming energy to it, something that she looked forward to experiencing on her earlier Sunday shifts.

The diner had a good dynamic. It served as a break from the pressures of school and life. No nagging feeling of homework, club meetings, and the like.

It was easy but with a different kind of pressure.

The months working there had flown by and Stacie felt like she had been there forever. Sometimes Beca would even stop by if she had a late shift at the radio station, opting to grab a milkshake and to walk home with Stacie. On those days, Aubrey didn’t walk her home. Stacie and Beca would walk the blonde home instead.

Stacie teased Beca about how she only stopped by and walked Aubrey home so that she could see Chloe. The shorter girl denied it each time, but there was some truth to it.

After their first night getting dinner together, the two made it a regular routine to grab dinner after a late shift and take turns walking the other home. Since the late shifts were mostly on the weekend, they would end up eating dinner together once a week while talking about anything. They covered all the basics pretty quickly and later moved onto life stories and future goals. Neither had outright talked about the implications behind their actions, but it became a regular thing for them that they both looked forward to at the end of the week.

Over this time, Stacie found out that Aubrey was less put together than she portrayed to the world. But it wasn’t in a bad way. She liked that the blonde could be honest and open with her. It was a side that she rarely saw Aubrey display around other people, the diner was a contest to that. Besides Nancy, Aubrey always had a sort of veil around her. It ranged from person to person, but it was always there.

The first time that Stacie experienced the true Aubrey was when she ran into her one day, walking out of their café. Since they stumbled into each other all the time at that café, Stacie just decided to start calling it their café.

Stacie was walking in to grab a quick coffee and then head to the library when she literally ran into Aubrey.

_*flashback*_

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Are you ok?” the brunette asked while checking over the other girl.

Once she looked up, she saw that it was Aubrey and she was a little relieved that she didn’t ram into a stranger.

Aubrey chucked, “Yeah, I’m fine. But we really have to stop running into each other here.”

Stacie smiled back at her, a full and genuine smile.

“We should, but how else would I know that you actually go to school here”, the brunette teased back.

“Stace, you’ve literally seen my school ID and why else would I be continuously going to the campus café?” the blonde stated and smirked while crossing her arms with a cup of coffee in one hand. It was a miracle that the coffee didn’t get spilled everywhere.

Stacie sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right, but what brings you here today?” the blonde inquired.

“I’m just grabbing a coffee really quick before I head into the library to study. It’s midterm week after all” the taller girl replied.

Aubrey smiled, “Well I’m heading to the library too if you’d like to join.”

Stacie was surprised for a second, the only thing they’ve done together outside of work was get dinner. But it was only because they were together at work already. All the other times that they’ve seen or run into each other outside of work only lead to a brief conversations.

Stacie regarded the older girl for a second. Aubrey was usually very direct, a no-nonsense kind of girl. But now, she wasn’t making direct eye contact with the brunette. Her blue-green eyes darting around at people passing by and the students shuffling around inside instead of looking at Stacie. This was new. Usually Aubrey looked right at her when they talked, but something was a bit off. Was Aubrey nervous about asking Stacie to go to the library with her?

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts and replied, “Yeah, that’d be great! Just let me get my coffee really quick and we can go.”

It wasn’t a big action, but Aubrey’s shoulders finally dropped into a relaxed position. Something that one would only notice if they were looking for it.

That’s when Stacie realized that the blonde wasn’t as bold and confident about everything in her life as she seemed.

_*end flashback*_

Over the course of that day, the pair had spent most of their time together at the library. They took breaks between studying to talk or just play on their phones in silence. It should’ve been weird. Two coworkers who at this point had only known each other for a few weeks but it wasn’t. It was oddly familiar, in a good way.

Their study sessions continued throughout the entire week of midterms, which lead to Stacie and Aubrey texting a lot more about things that weren’t related to work. Enough for even Beca to take notice.

Beca had teased Stacie every time she jumped and got giddy every time her phone vibrated. Which may have been true in hindsight. But she was texting Aubrey Posen, and Beca’s smirking at her didn’t really matter.

They texted about their day, and well, pretty much anything.

This is when Stacie got to know the real Aubrey. The girl that portrayed a public image of elegance, brains, and determination also sent her a myriad of any science facts she saw as she scrolled through social media because she knew that Stacie loved all things science. They were usually posts that the brunette already saw. But Stacie loved getting random links throughout her day, so she would never tell Aubrey that she already saw the post two days prior.

The blonde had talked about deleting some of her social media accounts on more than one occasion, saying that it was a waste of time and that she could be doing more productive things. But Stacie knew that she would never actually follow through with it. The blonde loved all the funny dog and cat content too much, which was another thing that Aubrey would consistently send to the brunette. So whenever Stacie saw a funny post that featured a furry friend, she sent it to Aubrey immediately.

This brought her back to her current situation which was sitting in a chair at the library across for the very blonde that occupied her thoughts.

They finished studying for midterms and decided to continue studying together since it kept them on track. Not that either one ever strayed away from their academics, but it was nice to sit and study in silence while being able to pull each other out of rigorous study sessions and take a break.

Stacie finished studying for the day and was lounging in the chair while playing a game on her phone. Aubrey was still going over a few things in a case for her mock trial that was coming up on Thursday.

Finally, she closed the heavy textbook beside her and slumped back in her seat which made Stacie look up from her phone.

“Tough case?” the brunette asked sympathetically.

The blonde groaned in response, “I don’t even know how to defend this side of the case right now.”

“Alright, well we should probably call it quits anyways. We’ve been here for almost four hours and burning yourself out isn’t gonna help you win this case.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” the blonde relented.

She closed her textbooks and neatly stowed them away in her bag but made no move to get up.

It was already 7:38pm and neither of them had eaten yet. A common theme when they both got too preoccupied with work.

Stacie was mulling over the idea of asking Aubrey to get dinner with her when someone covered her eyes from behind.

“Guess who” the unknown offender asked in a sing song tone. If Stacie was startled, she didn’t show it. At least now she knew that it was someone she was acquainted with and not a complete stranger invading her personal space. But she still had hands covering her eyes and only knew that it was girl based on the voice.

The list of girls that Stacie was friends with was short, she would know immediately if it was Fat Amy based on her voice and Beca isn’t one for physical contact. So, Stacie narrowed it down to a few and took a guess.

“Is it Emily?”

Stacie heard an exaggerated sigh and felt the hands drop from covering her eyes, confirming the fact that she guessed correctly.

The brunette opened her eyes and blinked a few times to adjust her vision. Once she was recalibrated, she twisted around to look at the tall girl standing behind her.

Emily was a new freshman this year and Stacie helped tutor her in math at the learning center a few times a week when she came in. After the first few weeks, Stacie learned that Emily was a song writer and got her in contact with Beca. Although Beca only made mashups, she was a good producer and Stacie figured that the two girls could help each other out. She was right and Emily became one of their friends fairly quickly and the rest is history.

“Well are you going to give me a hug or just stare?”, Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

Stacie put her hands on both sides of the chair to help boost herself up and took a few steps to give the younger girl a hug. Emily was like a sister to her already and Stacie quickly learned that she was a very affectionate person, not as much as Chloe but a close runner up.

When she released the other girl, Stacie was about to ask her why she was at the library when someone behind them cleared their throat.

Stacie did a mental facepalm, forgetting to introduce Aubrey to her friend.

Stacie turned to face the blonde, ready to introduce her to Emily but Aubrey beat her too it. The blonde strode over and extended a hand to the taller girl.

As Stacie watched her move up and out of the chair towards them, it was precise and direct. It wasn’t exactly an offensive move but there was a dominance that radiated from her.

“Hi, I’m Aubrey.”

The blonde stood close to Stacie, closer than she normally would. But Stacie brushed it off. They were in the library, bunched up between the chair that Stacie had been sitting in and table in front of it which made for a tight space. Aubrey was just standing close to Stacie because of the furniture in the way. That had to be it.

Stacie watched Aubrey. Her eyes never left Emily and lips were set in a neutral position, not a smile. Stacie thought it was very unlike Aubrey, usually she sported a smile whenever she met someone new. A new feeling was growing in Stacie’s stomach, but she couldn’t place it. She didn’t know why, but she wanted her two friends to get along. Yearned for it even.

She surveyed the interaction between them. Emily was blissfully unaware of Aubrey’s unusually cold demeanor, shaking her hand and excitedly introducing herself.

“So Emily, what brings you here?” the blonde asked curtly.

The freshman smiled, “I was just studying for a math test that I have tomorrow. I was just leaving when I saw Stacie and couldn’t resist.” She ended the sentence with a light laugh.

“How do you guys know each other?” the blonde asked while crossing her arms.

Emily was about to reply, but Aubrey’s expression was still guarded. So, Stacie placed her hand on the blonde’s back which made the blonde turn to face her as she explained.

“I help tutor Emily at the learning center sometimes. She’s the one that Beca’s working on that song with.”

Aubrey visibly softened after that, whether it was because of Stacie’s hand on her back or the explanation of Emily’s relationship with Stacie was unclear and unspoken between them.

The moment between the two was effectively broken when Emily piped up, “Stacie’s been a huge help. I wouldn’t be passing without her.”

When Aubrey turned to Emily again, her icy demeanor was gone. Replaced with the Aubrey that Stacie knew as she sported a kind smile.

“Well I’m glad she's good for something”, the blonde joked.

“Hey! I’m good for a lot of things”, Stacie exclaimed.

Aubrey shushed her at her loud outburst, “We’re still in the library, Conrad. And I’d rather not be kicked out.”

Stacie rolled her eyes, “They wouldn’t kick us out solely because of that and we’re leaving anyways, Bree.”

Stacie didn’t know where the nickname came from, a bit worried that they weren’t that close of friends yet. But the blonde seemed to soften even further which eased her worry.

“Yeah, speaking of, I should probably get going. I have to get dinner with Beca-” as the younger girl looked at her watch, her eyes grew.

“Now. I’m supposed to be getting dinner with her now”, she rushed before quickly saying her goodbyes and power walking out of the library.

Stacie let out a breath that she didn’t know she was even holding. “Yeah, so that’s Emily”.

She dropped her hand for Aubrey’s back, forgetting that it was even there because it felt so _normal_.

The cool air that accompanied the palm of her hand made her want to reach out for Aubrey’s hand to replace the warmth that was missing but she thought better of it. That was not something that co-workers did. Even if they were now technically friends.

“Ready to go?” Aubrey asked, stirring her from her thoughts.

Stacie nodded, grabbing the rest of her things and shoving it in her bag as Aubrey went to get her own belongings.

As the two got their things in order, they headed out of the library into the cool air of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is super appreciated! :)


	7. chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Its been too long since the last update, but life really just punched me in the face with everything going on in the world and in my life with school/work. But here's chapter 7!! Let me know what you guys think, I love reading all your comments :) <3

Aubrey felt like an idiot- and that was not something that she admitted to frequently, if at all. She was walking out of the library with Stacie after their run in with Emily. A girl who was friends with Stacie. Just friends. Just like Stacie and herself. _Friends._

She knew nothing about the girl. But when Emily walked up behind Stacie and was practically pressing herself against the chair that Stacie resided in, well it sparked a feeling of jealousy that Aubrey didn’t even know she had.

But even if they were just friends, Aubrey couldn’t help the feeling that crept in. She shouldn’t be jealous because there was no reason to be. They were also coworkers and Aubrey Posen was not one to mix work and dating. Especially with someone who has become one of her good friends, and essentially one of the biggest highlights of her day. She didn’t want to do anything to mess up the dynamic that they’ve built over the past few months.

As they walked through the automatic doors of the library, the cool breeze made her shiver slightly. It was a stark contrast from the library’s regulated environment.

“A little cold there?” Stacie teased.

Aubrey glared at her playfully, “No, I just wasn’t expecting it to be windy.”

“Mhmm. Sure, Posen.”

It was cold, but Aubrey wasn’t going to admit that to Stacie and give her the satisfaction of being right. She could suck it up for a bit.

As they were walking, it hadn’t occurred to the blonde that she didn’t actually know where they were heading. It wasn’t the normal path that they took to their café and it wasn’t in the direction to either of their homes.

“Where are we going?”

Stacie looked at her with a smirk, “You’ll see.”

“Stacie” Aubrey practically whined. “You can’t just not tell me where we’re going.”

“Oh, yes I can. In fact, I’m doing it right now”, the younger girl replied while skipping ahead.

Aubrey looked at her exasperatedly. She couldn’t stand not knowing where they were going. The unknown was not something that the blonde liked to indulge in. She liked familiar things. Things she could control.

Getting lost in her thoughts and all of the possible places they could be going, Aubrey had slowed to a stop.

It took Stacie a second to realize that the blonde was no longer walking by her side. She turned around and noticed Aubrey’s glazed over expression, her eyebrows knit in thought while she stood in the middle of the sidewalk. Her hair was illuminated by the streetlight, giving her a halo effect and Stacie thought that she couldn’t have looked more perfect.

Stacie sighed and walked up to the blonde.

“I promise that you’ll like it”, she said softly while sliding her hand into Aubrey’s to tug her along.

This was effective because Aubrey started walking again, more reassured than before. And it was only partly because Stacie kept looking back at her and squeezing her hand reassuringly.

“Do I get any hints at least?” the older girl asked.

Stacie thought for a moment before she replied, “un trattoria”.

Aubrey was about to ask what that even meant but Stacie spoke again before she got the chance.

“And that’s your only hint, so don’t try to pry for more.”

Aubrey tugged on their joined hands, stopping Stacie from making any progress.

“At least tell me what language that’s in.” The blonde asked while using her puppy dog eyes. Aubrey had gotten pretty good at doing puppy dog eyes since Chloe was her best friend and they had been living together for about 4 years now.

Stacie looked very determined to keep her secret, but her resolve was slowly starting to crumble under Aubrey’s gaze.

“Italian”, the brunette commented. “Now let’s keep going. I’m starving.”

//

As they approached the restaurant, Aubrey noticed that it was a charming place. It was a small brick building with a patio area that was illuminated by strings of fairy lights that were hanging over head, creating a canopy of lights and there was a neon sign in the front that read, “Il Narciso”. Aubrey didn’t know what that meant, but at least she knew it was in Italian.

Aubrey couldn’t help but think that this felt like a date. She was still holding hands with Stacie, neither of them had dropped their hands since Stacie had took her hand earlier to haul them along.

They were also going to a new restaurant instead of their little campus diner, and this restaurant had a sort of _romantic_ atmosphere to it.

As Aubrey surveyed the patio, she noticed that most of the patrons were couples. A few groups of friends were scatted about, but a majority of the customers were in fact couples.

The pair walked inside and were greeted promptly. They opted for a table inside since the patio was pretty packed already and Aubrey would not admit this out loud to the younger girl, but she was still a little cold.

When they approached the table, Stacie dropped Aubrey’s hand to pull out her chair and the lack of warmth made Aubrey shiver minutely. This was a different kind of cold than the one she had been feeling, and it was worse.

Once they were settled at their newly acquired table, Aubrey spoke.

“So how did you find out about this place?”

Stacie looked up from her menu with a mischievous smile, “Well, I can’t tell you all of my secrets.”

Aubrey cocked her head, daring Stacie to keep up this charade of teasing.

The brunette relented with a dramatic sigh, “I found out about it because I was seeing a waitress here.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but note Stacie’s use of the word waitress instead of waiter, smiling to herself.

“Well do they still work here?” the blonde asked, looking around for any of the workers who would possibly be looking their way.

“No, she doesn’t. It was a long time ago”, Stacie said with a sort of melancholy tone.

Aubrey chose her next words carefully, almost whispering them, “Do you miss her?”

Stacie looked up and found that Aubrey’s eyes were already on her, there was a sort of gentleness in her gaze. The blonde was looking at Stacie with a care that one would have with a fragile object. Cautious to not break or mar it by being too reckless.

But her eyes were also guarded, in a sort of preparation for fight or flight and Stacie couldn’t pinpoint the reason for that expression.

“No”, the brunette stated plainly. “Like I said, it was a long time ago and it wasn’t anything really serious anyways”, Stacie added with a wave of her hand.

Aubrey felt like there was more to the story but she didn’t want to push. So, they ventured into more comfortable territory.

“So, what’s Emily working on with Beca right now?” Aubrey asked while taking a sip of her water.

She shot Aubrey a quick smile, thankful for the change in topic.

“They’re working on an original song. Emily has all the lyrics written out, so all they need is to fix the instrumental along with a few minor tweaks here and there.”

Aubrey nodded in understanding. She was about to ask another question, but the waiter approached to take their order.

Once they finished with their order, Stacie turned to Aubrey. Pinning her down with a look.

“Ok, you have to be completely honest with what I’m about to ask you.”

This made the blonde a bit uneasy, this was a drastic change from the pace in their earlier conversation and Stacie had never given her a sort of ultimatum on anything but the look that she was on the receiving end of assured her that it wasn’t going to be a completely terrible question.

Aubrey nodded rigidly and straightened up in her seat.

“When do you think Beca and Chloe are gonna get it on already?” Stacie finally let out.

Aubrey slumped back into her seat with a huff.

“Are you serious, Stacie? I thought this was going to be something important”, the blonde remarked with crossed arms.

“This is important! Every time that we walk you home, Chloe is at the door in .3 seconds and Beca _will not shut up_ on the way home”, the brunette defended.

“Well, I think they’ll be ‘getting it on’ sooner or later”, Aubrey replied with air quotes.

“Yeah, but when?” Stacie whined. “I can’t stand the sexual tension whenever I’m in the same room as those two. It’s honestly _suffocating._ ”

Aubrey giggled at Stacie’s dramatics, quickly bringing her hand to her mouth in order to slow her laughing.

The brunette narrowed her eyes at the blonde sitting across from her.

“Are you- are you _giggling_ at me?” Stacie asked incredulously.

“No!”

Stacie crossed her arms, “You are a terrible liar.”

“I’m sorry, you were just being overly dramatic!” the blonde stated.

“Me? Dramatic? I would never”, Stacie retorted while throwing a hand over her heart in mock exasperation.

Aubrey rolled her eyes good naturedly, “Alright, whatever you say Miss Conrad.”

As soon as the words left Aubrey’s mouth, she saw Stacie’s eyes darken for a split second before she regained her composure.

“Right. I’m not dramatic, but anyone with a pair of functioning eyes can see that Beca and Chloe are like a ticking sex bomb waiting to go off.”

“Stacie! We’re still in public.” the blonde exclaimed.

The brunette registered her words but brushed it off, “So? No one’s actually listening to us right now. They’re too caught up in each other anyways.”

Aubrey looked around the restaurant to see if anyone was listening to their conversation, but Stacie was right. No one gave them a second glance; they were all animatedly talking to each other. Come to think of it, Aubrey wasn’t listening to any other tables conversations, so why would they be listening to hers?

“But seriously, when do you think that Beca and Chloe are going to go out on a date?” Stacie asked.

Aubrey thought about it for a second. Chloe was usually a very bold person that went after anything she wanted, so it was bound to happen soon.

“Within the next two weeks”, the blonde answered.

Stacie regarded her for a moment, “I’ll make a bet with you. I think it’ll take them at least another month, Beca’s too much of a scaredy cat to do anything within the next couple weeks.”

“Deal”, Aubrey stated before continuing, “But you are underestimating one Chloe Beale.”

Stacie groaned in response, “Maybe. But we’ll just have to find out.”

The pair held each other’s gaze for a second before Aubrey started, “So what am I going to get when I win this bet?”

Stacie cocked an eyebrow, “When you win? Don’t get ahead of yourself, Posen.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes again. “Fine, when _someone_ wins. What do they get?”

Stacie thought about it for a second, tapping her index finger on her chin.

“Dinner”, she stated plainly.

“Dinner?” the blonde echoed. “We get dinner all the time.”

“Yeah, but the loser has to pay. At whatever place the other person wants”, Stacie clarified.

“Ok, deal” Aubrey stated while sticking out her hand.

Stacie chuckled while shaking the blonde’s outstretched hand, “Deal.”

//

After they finished dinner at the cozy little Italian restaurant, it was about 9 o’clock. The sun had already set and the only source of light outside were the lamps that lined the street.

“Let’s get you home”, Stacie said while grabbing Aubrey’s hand and walking toward her house.

Aubrey stopped walking and pulled Stacie back. “Well who’s going to walk you home?”

Stacie looked confused, “I’m gonna walk myself?”

“It’s dark now”, Aubrey stated.

It finally clicked in Stacie’s head. Aubrey was worried about her walking home alone in the dark and her expression softened.

“It’s fine. I’m a fast walker”, the brunette reassured with a wink.

Aubrey was still unconvinced and rooted to her spot on the sidewalk.

“I promise that I’ll be careful”, Stacie whispered reassuringly.

“Promise” Aubrey held.

Stacie nodded, “Promise.”

Aubrey still seemed a bit uneasy but proceed to walk alongside the brunette. Their hands still intertwined.

They walked in a comfortable silence for most of the way. Aubrey’s house was coming up on the horizon, which meant they were only about a minute away. It wasn’t as windy as before but it was still chilly outside and as if on cue, Aubrey shivered.

Stacie laughed. A full bellied laugh and Aubrey couldn’t be mad at her for it because her laugh was infectious.

“Still cold?” the taller girl asked.

“Maybe a little.”

“Maybe? I just saw you do a whole-body shiver”

“Ok, yes. I’m still cold”, the blonde relented.

Stacie regarded her with sympathy. “I’d offer you my jacket, but I don’t have it on me.”

Aubrey shook her head, “It’s ok. We’re almost there anyways.”

After a few more steps, Aubrey piped up again. “How are you not cold?”

Stacie shrugged, “I’ve been told that I’m like a space heater.”

Aubrey agreed. The heat radiating from Stacie’s hand was enough proof of that.

As they approached the house, Aubrey was reluctant to go inside and put an official end to their night. It was one of the most stress-free nights that she's had in a while, even if they were studying for their classes only a few hours earlier. Just being around Stacie was relaxing.

Stacie dropped their hands when they got to the stairs. Trailing after Aubrey as she ascended the few steps.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight”, Stacie commented while patting her pockets to occupy her hands.

“I guess so”, Aubrey confirmed.

They looked at each other for a moment. Neither one wanting to break the calm bubble that they were in.

Aubrey wanted to kiss her. It would be so easy just to get on her tippy toes and plant a kiss on Stacie’s lips, but she couldn’t.

They were just friends and this wasn’t a date. As much as she wanted it to be- it wasn’t. They were coworkers turned friends. Nothing more and nothing less.

When Stacie moved closer, Aubrey’s breathing hitched.

But Stacie didn’t kiss her. Instead, she was enveloped in a hug.

It wasn’t like a Chloe hug. Chloe’s hugs were like bear hugs that limited your breathing. Stacie’s hugs were different, and reassuring.

It felt like coming home and letting your façade of the day just drop. Since Stacie was taller than her, Aubrey’s head fit perfectly in the crook of her neck and she could smell the vanilla and linen concoction that was Stacie Conrad.

As much as Aubrey wanted to stay wrapped in Stacie’s arms, she had to go inside.

So, she reluctantly untangled herself from the brunette.

“Goodnight Stace”, Aubrey whispered into the space between them.

“Goodnight Bree”, Stacie replied before she headed down the steps of the porch.

Stacie made it a few steps down the sidewalk before turning around and waving goodbye to Aubrey.

Aubrey waved back, “Text me when you get home!”

She saw Stacie nod, “I will!”

Once she could no longer see Stacie on the street, Aubrey headed inside.

Once the door was locked, she headed straight to the kitchen where she knew Chloe would be after her shift at the vet clinic. But was surprised to see that Beca was there too.

“Oh. Hi Beca, I didn’t know that you were coming over today.”

Beca turned to look at her. “Sorry, it wasn’t really planned. We just ran into each other”, she answered while rubbing the back of her neck.

“Oh it’s fine, just unexpected”, Aubrey replied. “Well, I’ll let you two have fun” she added on before flitting away.

After Aubrey made her way down the hall and into the safety of her own home, she pulled out her phone.

_[Aubrey]: You’ll never guess whose here_

_[Stacie]: Hopefully not an axe murderer_

_[Aubrey]: Nope. Beca’s here._

_[Aubrey]: Looks like you’re gonna owe me dinner soon_

_[Stacie]: Well they’re not on a date so this time doesn’t count_

_[Aubrey]: Not yet, you mean. They’ll be dating soon enough and I’ll be getting a free dinner_

_[Stacie]: Yeah, yeah whatever._

_[Stacie]: I just got home btw_

_[Aubrey]: Good, glad you didn’t die_

_[Stacie]: Me too. I’m gonna take a quick shower. Keep me updated on grumpy and sunshine_

Aubrey laughed at Stacie’s last message before typing her own reply and shutting off her phone.

The night went on as Aubrey texted Stacie little updates here and there. Stacie replied every time enthusiastically.

Aubrey ended up watching a movie with Beca and Chloe in their living room but the pair fell asleep together on the sofa halfway through the movie which left Aubrey half paying attention to the movie while texting Stacie. 

_[Stacie]: I wonder if Beca's gonna be coming home tonight_

_[Aubrey]: Hmm, probably not. But I'm gonna head to bed, long day at work tomorrow._

_[Stacie]: Alright, goodnight. See you tomorrow <3_

Aubrey knew she was starting to develop feelings for Stacie, which was something that she really couldn’t allow. 

Once the movie ended, she shut off the TV and snuck back to her room being cautious of the two sleeping girls on the sofa.

Aubrey slipped into bed but she couldn't fall asleep. A certain brunette plagued her thoughts at every twist and turn. Aubrey went over countless scenarios in her head, but none of them helped her fall asleep and going over her plan for tomorrow could only take up so much of her attention. So, she decided that something needed to be done about her budding feelings and settled on her decision before trying once more to fall asleep in preparation for the long day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just letting you guys know- the next chapter is going to be a little angsty.   
> Don't say that I didn't warn you...


End file.
